High density mounting of electronic components on printed circuit boards and other substrates is common in the electronics industry. Miniature ceramic surface mount type capacitors having multiple layers have been used for some time in electronic devices such as cellular telephones, network routers, computers, and the like. The manufacturing techniques of such devices must be precise to provide for the greatly reduced size of these devices, while still affording desirable electrical operating characteristics.
More recently it has become desirable to provide further types of components and various sub-circuits in on-board mountable form. Several United States patents are directed to various aspects of electronic component manufacture and mounting techniques. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,598 (Vindasius et al., entitled “Conductive Epoxy Flip-Clip on Chip”) is directed to a chip-on-chip mounting arrangement wherein each of a plurality of stacked chips is provided with a beveled, insulated perimeter where a number of chips may be interconnected via conductive epoxy. U.S. Pat. No. 6,594,135 (Ervasti, entitled “Filter”) is directed to a multi-stage filter produced on a connection base that includes a ground potential area on the back side thereof.
Additional publication material includes an article entitled “Silicon Micro-Machining as an Enabling Technology for Advanced Device Packaging” as published in Semiconductor Manufacturing Magazine, November 2004. Also, additional patent citations include U.S. Pat. No. 7,112,879 (Fielstad et al., entitled “Microelectronic Assemblies Having Complaint Layers”); U.S. Pat. No. 6,954,130 (Marcoux, et al., entitled “Integrated Passive Components and Package With Posts”); U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,299 (DiStefano et al., entitled “Semiconductor Chip Connection Components With Adhesives and Method of Making Same”); U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,551 (Tostado et al., entitled “Semiconductor Package Having a Ground or Power Ring and a Metal Substrate”); U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,770 (Tai, entitled “Integrated Circuit Chip and Substrate Assembly”); U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,977 (Sokola et al., entitled “Ceramic Bandpass Filter”).
For some time, the design of various electronic components has been driven by a general industry trend toward miniaturization and ease of incorporation of components into new or existing applications. In such regard, a need exists for smaller electronic components having exceptional operating characteristics. For example, some applications require the use of passive devices exhibiting various characteristics including capacitive, inductive, and/or resistive characteristics or combination assemblies thereof, but are severely limited in the amount of space (known as “real estate”) such devices may occupy on a circuit board. It is important that such devices or combinations be configured for maximum ease of physical and electrical attachment to such circuit boards while occupying the least amount of“real estate” possible.
While various implementations of surface mount passive devices and assemblies have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.